Samuel K. Zook

Samuel Kurtz Zook (27 March 1821-3 July 1863) was a Union Major-General during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Biography
Samuel Kurtz Zook was born on 27 March 1821 in Tredyffrin, Pennsylvania to a family of German-Americans. His family moved to Valley Forge, and Zook was inspired to pursue a military career by living near George Washington's military encampment that he used during the American Revolutionary War. At first, he worked as a telegrapher, but he was also in the US Army. At the start of the American Civil War he became the military governor of Annapolis, Maryland, but he became the colonel of the 57th New York Infantry Regiment. His first battle was the 1862 Seven Days' Battles and later fought at the Battle of Antietam, fighting in the campaigns in Virginia. During the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Zook and Regis de Trobriand defended the Wheatfield from the Confederate States Army, but he was shot in the shoulder, chest, and abdomen by rifle fire and mortally wounded. He died of his wounds on 3 July 1863, and he was regarded as a hero for his bravery.